We’re so pleased to welcome back Ronice Appleby and her beautiful illustrative products, perfect for Easter! Meet her this Sunday 3rd April at our Worthing Charmandean fair.
Please introduce yourself and your brand….
Hi there! I’m Ronice, and I’m a children’s illustrator. I work closely with children’s narrative, and I also use my illustrations for greetings cards and gift novelties, as well as offer bespoke commissions.
How would you describe your style and your creations?
I’d say my style was imaginative, whimsical and light-hearted. The themes you might find often in my work are a reflection of my love for children’s literature and illustrations. In recent years, I’ve delved into the world of anthropomorphism (animals behaving like people), which is seen a lot in children’s fiction, and I’ve enjoyed using this as a window to portray the everyday in a fun and whimsical light. This is funny considering I wouldn’t have dared to draw animals only a couple of years ago!
I also have a desire for detail and intricacy, which I think shows through the time and love I put into any of my projects, as well as plenty of patience!
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I like and enjoy that I’m still very traditional with my processes. My pencils have always been my go-to! I find illustrations from the 19th/early 20th-Century storybooks in particular so visually beautiful and detailed, so I try to adopt that authentic hand-drawn look as much as I can. Though I do use digitalisation to ‘tidy-up’ a drawing, I like to keep as much of the natural marks and textures from simply pencils-on-paper as possible.
I also like, and find rather interesting, I’ve been told on different occasions my style of illustration has triggered notes of nostalgia for some people, which I believe is where those older influences come through.
What can we expect to find on your stall at The Fairy Tale Fair Easter Special on Sunday 3rd April at Worthing Charmandean? And are you looking forward to taking part?
I’m so excited to take part! The Christmas fair was so much fun, so I can’t wait to come back this Spring! If anybody has been following my work on my socials, then you know you can definitely expect rabbits! What better place to share my (many) rabbits than the Easter fair?!
Do you have a best seller?
My “Rabbit Tea Party’ illustration is probably my most popular print. Otherwise I have had a wonderful response with my blank notecards. My ‘Sending Lots of Love’ card in particular, absolutely flew during the last COVID lockdown, when people wanted to send a little something to a loved one, which was very touching.
Do you have any plans or ambitions for the future?
I’m still very much experimenting at this stage and dabbling in different creative areas to see where I fit. Eventually I would love to be able to ‘quit the day-job’ and be a full-time illustrator, and just draw storybooks for a living.
Do you have a motto or inspirational quote?
My favourite quote is ‘Always let your conscience be your guide’; which is actually from Pinocchio!
Describe your Easter in 3 words…
So. Much. Chocolate!
How can we find out more about you?
If you would like to follow me and my work, you can follow me on Instagram or check out my website www.roniceappleby.co.uk for my professional portfolio.
I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
